1971 O-Pee-Chee Billy Grabarkewitz #85 1970 All-Star Los Angeles Dodgers

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Billy Grabarkewitz #85 1970 All-Star Los Angeles Dodgers Every vintage set has its cult heroes, and this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Billy Grabarkewitz #85 celebrates one of the most beloved oddities of the early 1970s, the scrappy Dodgers infielder whose surname became a trivia answer and whose 1970 season became Los Angeles folklore. The Canadian O-Pee-Chee edition mirrors the 752 card Topps checklist while swapping in the yellow and black bilingual reverse, and because OPC production was smaller and its cutting less precise, examples with strong black borders are far harder to locate than the American versions. Grabarkewitz erupted in 1970 with a .289 average, seventeen home runs, ninety-five walks, ninety-two runs scored and a .399 on-base percentage that led the club, earning him the only All-Star selection of his career and write-in campaign lore that still gets told among Dodgers fans. His crouched, glove-ready pose on this card perfectly captures the nervous energy that made "Grabbie" a fan favorite at Chavez Ravine. The reverse documents his climb from St. Mary's University to the majors and frames his breakout season within the bilingual statistical grid that defines the Canadian issue. this card shows more honest wear than its sheet mates, with visible corner fraying at three corners, a cluster of small white edge chips along the bottom right border and a faint surface scuff within the black frame, while centering drifts to about 65/35 left to right. The photo remains glossy and vibrant, the reverse is free of staining and wrinkles, and no creases cross the surface, which keeps the card comfortably above the Very Good tier. Balancing the border chipping and centering drift against the strong gloss, a conservative raw grade of VG-EX 4 is the responsible call. Collectors chasing the 1971 O-Pee-Chee Billy Grabarkewitz #85 for Dodgers team sets or All-Star runs get a character-rich example at a fair working-collector price. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4